03 February - 04 February
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, UAE
Now in its 11th year, the Middle East Bunkering Convention returns to Dubai where it will debate the many and complex issues impacting the marine fuels industry, from both a regional and a global perspective.
MEBC26 Programme
Programme details are updated regularly and are subject to change as new speakers are confirmed and themes developed.
If you feel you could make a significant contribution to the programme, please email Lesley Bankes-Hughes at [email protected] or call +44 1295 814455 to discuss this further.
Standard Delegate Pass: £850
This session will assess the prospects for consensus in 2026 on a global regulation to accelerate shipping’s energy transition, as well as progress to date on the shift to alternative fuels, with a sharp focus on projects that are already underway in the Middle East which will facilitate the supply of new energy sources. Speakers will review shipowners’ and ports’ strategies in relation to the adoption and provision of new fuels, and how the bunker sector is responding to this. They will also discuss the landscape for onshore power supply and how the demand for new fuels might impact the position of large – and smaller – bunkering ports.
Moderator: Claudia Beumer, Owner/Director, C4fuel
Rob Mortimer, Founder and CEO, Fuelre4m
Can Murtezaoglu, Business Development Manager, GTT
Steve Esau, Chief Operating Officer, SEA-LNG
Bunkering Infrastructure for Alternative Marine Fuels
Andrew Eastland, Lower Gulf and Central Asia Ports, Transport and Infrastructure Portfolio Manager, Worley Consulting
Director
C4fuel BV
With an educational background in Chemical Engineering and a proven track record in the bunkering industry, Claudia has a wide experience of working with alternative fuels. She first entered the maritime industry 15 years ago, engaged in business development for Certified Bunker Measurement Solutions and Fuel Measurements at Emerson. From the moment she entered the industry, Claudia started to grow a passion for LNG, its fossil free alternatives and other future fuels.
Following her time with Emerson and some years with Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, Claudia became Global Account Manager for Dutch barging company VT Group in September 2021. Here, besides having global responsibility for the commercial activities of the VT Group, she was also the lead for developing and driving VT’s sustainability strategy to enable the transportation and bunkering of alternative fuels.
Besides her regular job, Claudia has always been active in several associations, from the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF) for the past 10 years, to the NEN working group (inland shipping methanol bunkering standard). Since April 2023, she has served as an elected board member of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA).
Now all of these real life experiences come together in her latest journey; running her own company, C4fuel BV. As an independent consultant on all aspects of (alternative) fuels, Claudia supports maritime stakeholders in making better choices and increasing sustainability and transparency within the industry.
Founder and CEO
Fuelre4m
Rob Mortimer is not just challenging the energy sector; he’s rewriting the rules. As Founder and CEO of Fuelre4m, he leads a mission to transform how industries think about fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, and sustainability. With a career spanning over two decades, Rob has built a reputation as a visionary problem solver, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in fuel optimisation and clean energy solutions.
His journey began without formal qualifications, but with an unstoppable drive to solve problems and innovate. Starting as a Telecommunications Engineer at British Rail, Rob quickly moved into the fast-paced world of data and wireless communications in the early ‘90s, specialising in fixed wireless access and transmission. His ability to bridge technical expertise with commercial strategy allowed him to develop solutions for mobile and fixed telecom operators across the globe.
Before bringing Fuelre4m’s Re4mx product line to market, Rob represented and developed markets for some of the world’s leading wireless technology brands, including Alvarion, Cambium Networks (Motorola), Ceragon, Aviat Networks, and Inseego. Through his own company, Selcoms, he established himself as a key player in the wireless industry, growing the business in the UK before expanding into the Middle East, where he’s been based for the past 15 years.
At Fuelre4m, Rob is now spearheading groundbreaking technologies like Re4mx and Styrex, designed to reform fossil fuels, cut emissions by up to 80%, and improve fuel efficiency by 15-20%. His approach blends digitalisation, real-time analytics, and AI-driven diagnostics to bring accountability and optimisation to fuel consumption- because in his words, “If we’re serious about reducing fossil fuel emissions, we need to start with what we’re still burning today.”
Beyond his role at Fuelre4m, Rob is known for his straight-talking, no-nonsense approach and a leadership style that thrives on collaboration, curiosity, and impact. His ethos is simple: good business should be good for everyone; industries, economies, and the planet.
When he’s not driving energy transformation, Rob is an avid hiker, diver, and traveller, having explored over 140 countries, always seeking new perspectives and the next big challenge to solve.
Chief Operating Officer
SEA-LNG
Steve is Chief Operating Office at SEA\LNG. Before taking up his position at SEA\LNG Steve was Head of Energy at managing consultants, Xyntéo. He began his career as a Geophysicist in BP, subsequently working in a variety of business development, strategy and analysis roles in the company’s gas, power & renewables and energy trading businesses.
Steve has also worked in the City of London, for the Intercontinental Exchange, leading the development of financial instruments for the energy sector and for management consultants Afry Energy and Caminus Energy, where he specialised in providing advice on gas and power market policy; commodity trading and risk management and Carbon Capture and Storage.
Lower Gulf and Central Asia Ports, Transport and Infrastructure Portfolio Manager
Worley Consulting
Andrew Eastland FICE MICE CEng is a Principal Technical Consultant with specialising in ports and related projects within Worley Consulting. Andrew is a Marine Civil Engineer with 34 years of international consulting experience in the UK, Middle East, Far East and Australia. He has spent 25 of these years based in the UAE with a regional remit.
Worley is strong in Energy, Chemicals and Resources and is very active in the Energy Transition. This capability gives Andrew a good platform and broad technical network for the planning and design of the associated infrastructure, including the alternative marine fuels bunkering.
MEBC 2026 will close with its popular Leadership Panel, which will bring senior executives together to consider the takeaways of the discussions across the conference, and also add their insights on how the global and Middle East marine fuels sectors are navigating current challenges. Importantly, the conversation will turn to the future direction of travel for the industry. How are its business leaders developing mid- and longer-term strategies to remain agile in response to commercial and operational challenges – and to prosper.
Moderator: Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, CEO & Founder, ship.energy Ltd
Chris Turner, Technical Manager, Integr8
Ludovic Laffineur, senior advisor on decarbonisation, Global Maritime Forum
Capt. Rahul Choudhuri, President – Strategic Partnerships, VPS
Kenneth Dam, Executive Director and Global Head of Bunkering, TFG Marine
CEO & Founder
ship.energy
Joint CEO, Shipping Innovation | Director, Maritime UK
Llewellyn began his career in the oil industry in 1980, working both as a journalist and as oil broker in London and New York, with Petroleum Argus, Eperon Petroleum, Albion Oil, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly and OPEC Listener, before joining MRC Business Information Group in Oxford – which later became Lloyd’s List Intelligence after MRC’s acquisition by Informa – where he rose to Managing Director before leaving in May 2003 to establish Petrospot Ltd.
He is a Founding Member of the International Bunker Industry Association, which he helped create in 1993 and has organised conferences, seminars, training courses and multiple other events in 35 countries around the world and attended events as a journalist or conference speaker in a further dozen countries.
Llewellyn is co-creator, co-founder and co-owner of the biennial London International Shipping Week, whose first edition took place in September 2013 and has become one of the largest maritime events in the world.
Llewellyn was born in Abergavenny, Wales, in 1957 and lives in Oxfordshire.
Technical Manager
Integr8 Fuels
Chris Turner, Technical Manager at Integr8 Fuels, joined the bunker trading firm in 2017 and is based in Dubai, UAE.
During his career spanning over 30 years in Oil & Shipping Industries, Chris has vast experience in Laboratory Management, Physical Supply, Bunker Broking, Trading and, more recently, providing technical supervision of the exclusive buying for Owners, Charterers and Operators including the development and design of online bunker resources.
Chris also sits on the International Bunker Industry Association’s (IBIA) technical working group.
Senior advisor on decarbonisation
Global Maritime Forum
Boasting over 15 years of experience working in maritime decarbonisation, Ludovic Laffineur is a Senior Advisor on Decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum, where he provides expert advice and guidance to the organisation’s leadership on policy, strategy, technical matters, and other areas of expertise. In his role, he engages in high-level discussions with policymakers and industry leaders to ensure that the revised IMO greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy is implemented through clear policy measures.
From 2008 to 2019, Ludovic served as Head of Environmental Affairs and Deputy Managing Director at the Belgian Shipowners Association. During this time, he participated in International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings on decarbonising shipping. He then worked as a visiting professor at the University of Antwerp, leading a team to assess the advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen and hydrogen carriers for shipping. Following this academic role, he spent one year at Hydrogen Europe as Policy Manager for Shipping and Aviation.
He holds a master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Antwerp.
President - Strategic Partnerships
VPS
Capt. Rahul Choudhuri is President, Strategic Partnerships at VPS & based in Singapore. He been with VPS for 30+ years.
VPS is at the forefront in providing testing and advisory services to support our clients’ goals of achieving sustainable operations, asset protection, preventable maintenance, plus environmental and legislative compliance.
The VPS Decarbonization unit consists of suite of services such as data driven software(following acquisition of Yxney Maritime) & state of the art laser based continuous stack monitoring of emissions(following acquisition of Emsys Maritime).
Full career details can be seen under LinkedIn profile as follows:
Executive Director and Global Head of Bunkering
TFG Marine
Kenneth Dam joined Trafigura’s fuel oil team in 2017 and in May 2019 became Co-Head of its newly formed bunkering team. In 2020, Kenneth was appointed Global Head of Bunkering for TFG Marine, a joint venture created between Trafigura and ship owning companies Frontline and Golden Ocean to supply quality marine fuels to ship owners at global strategic bunkering hubs.
Before joining Trafigura, from 2011 to 2016, Kenneth worked for Monjasa and played a key role in developing its West Africa bunkering operations. Before entering the marine fuel supply and shipping industry, Kenneth was a financial advisor for leading Danish financial services company Nykredit.
TFG Marine is a leading international marine fuel supply and procurement joint venture between physical commodity trading company Trafigura Group Pte and ship owning companies Frontline Ltd and Golden Ocean Group Ltd. Formed in 2020, the company provides modern, simplified and transparent services that bridge every stage of the bunkering process for its customers, supplying over 10 million metric tonnes of marine fuels per annum across 35 strategic bunkering hub locations globally.
Close of conference.
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